Warlord
by Hawkpaw44
Summary: Ray, a young girl in Ignis, wants the fighting in Ransei to end so she can go back to Fontaine with her brother and her Treecko. She doesn't know how, or when, it will happen, but she's determined. Howevere, because of her unusually strong bond with Treecko, many people want her on their side, and some will stop at nothing to gain this kid's allegiance.
1. Chapter 1

**This... is not very long. It's kind of sad.**

**However, I'm still getting used to typing on this stupid iPad. I've been wanting to upload a story for the longest time, and now there's finally a way. I was pretty happy about that. **

**This is the first fanfiction I'm going to be putting a lot of effort into. I may ask for OCs later on, if I need them. Most of all, though, I just want to finish this. I have no reason to ask for reviews, because they won't make me write faster. Hate may make me write slower, but whatever. I'll finish this someday.**

**Now, before I bore you all with a longer A/N, here's Chapter 1.**

* * *

The small girl brushed her long hair out of her eyes, staring up into the face of the Warrior. She looked frightened to say the least - eyes wide, holding on to her Treecko with trembling hands. The Pokemon had all its attention focused on the girl, patting her small hands comfortingly and repeating its name in a soothing tone. Despite that effort, the girl didn't seem to want to calm down.  
The Warrior looked at her with interest. She wasn't the thing on the streets that stood out most, but it was clear he was looking at her. Something was strange about the girl. Perhaps it was the obvious trust that she and her Treecko shared. It wasn't a usual thing to see in one so young. She looked maybe seven or eight years old, with long, light brown hair and green eyes. Of course, it was hard to tell how old she was when she wouldn't stop shaking. "You two seem strangely close." he murmured.

"Hey, Takakage," one of the Warrior's companions yelled. He was standing twenty feet away, waving his arm dramatically. The girl's attention flew over there, her eyes landing on the Pansage sitting comfortably on the other Warrior's head, "Hey, what's the holdup? You coming or not?"

The first Warrior, Takakage, waved back. "Be right there!" he called over, casting a last glance at the little girl with the Treecko. She seemed to think she was being ganged up on by the Warriors, glancing nervously back and forth between them. Her Treecko seemed less at ease as well, having just noticed the Sewaddle riding on his shoulder. Takakage sighed, then turned to walk away.

"What was that about?" Motoharu asked, leading the way toward the castle.

"That girl has an unusually strong bond with that Treecko." Takakage replied thoughtfully.

"And you were wondering if Lord Hideyoshi would be interested, since he wants as many people as possible to be friends with Pokemon, right?"

Takakage nodded with a chuckle, "Yeah, that's exactly it. You know me too well."

"There's no such thing." Motoharu replied with a grin, "Now hurry up. We're going to be late because you had a staring contest with a kid."

* * *

The girl stared at the retreating Warriors with cautious eyes, not loosening her hold on Treecko. The grass-type pulled itself away, grabbing the girls hand and beginning to lead her away.

"Oh, you're right," the girl said softly, following willingly, "Brother wanted me home soon, because it's almost night time. I forgot."

The girl was wearing simple clothing. It was green, her favorite color, and matched Treecko's tail. The outfit wasn't difficult to move around in - it was in fact the opposite. Her hail was pulled out of her face by a dark blue bow, though much of it had escaped at this point. She stood out with these colors amid the brown and orange garments of the majority of people in Ignis, but she had come from Fontaine with her brother and didn't think much of it.

She was a few feet taller than her Pokemon, and had to bend over for the Pokemon to drag her along, but she didn't mind that. She knew that someday, if Treecko got strong enough, she would become a Grovyle, and then a Sceptile. The girl had spent many days memorizing the names of Treecko's evolution family. Her brother had laughed and congratulated her when she'd told them to him, saying that she'd be a great Warrior someday if she could keep up the learning. She hadn't been totally sure of what he meant, but she liked getting praise.

Treecko dodged between people, forcing a path through the thick crowd. A few of these people had learned to get out of the grass Pokemon's way when it came charging through with the young girl in tow. It had only been happening for a few days, since her brother had finished unpacking their stuff and gave her permission to wander the city. She spent most of her time staring at the things she didn't understand. All of the sights were much different than in Fontaine. At least Treecko dragging her around was the same as always. It was a source of comfort.

When Lord Hideyoshi, the Warlord of Ignis, had captured Fontaine, he'd asked the girl's brother to join his cause. There hadn't really been much of a choice, but the brother had accepted and moved the two of them to Ignis.  
The girl looked back, seeing the sun beginning to set. "Hurry, Treecko!" she urged, running faster herself, "We have to be home before dark, and it's almost dark!"

Responding to her words, the Pokemon put on a burst of speed and dragged her through the remaining crowd. The pair didn't slow down until the sun was halfway below the horizon and the house was in sight. With a sigh of relief, the girl slowed up. She'd make it home just before dark, which was all her brother had specified.

Treecko led the way confidently to the gate, only to stop suddenly. Peering ahead, the girl recognized the silhouette of her brother standing outside. She took the lead then, letting Treecko climb onto her back.

She realized that she looked messy, with her hair coming out of her bow and dust on her pretty green clothing. Most of it was from the mad dash home, but her brother didn't know that. All he'd see was the bedraggled child in front of him and he'd assume something bad happened. There were two things her brother cared about: battles, and his sister.

The girl walked slowly to him, staring at her feet. She hadn't wanted to worry him, and the fact that she'd been so late and that she looked so messy was bound to be worrying. Without a word to her, he led the way inside. The girl followed slowly.

They both sat down, though the girl couldn't meet her brother's eyes. She couldn't shake the feeling that she'd done something wrong, even though all she'd done was come home late. Treecko patted her head softly.

When the girl didn't speak, her brother did. "Why did you come home so late?" He didn't sound accusing or angry, to her relief. Still, she hung her head.  
"I got distracted," she mumbled, still not looking up.

There was a pause, during which she assumed he nodded. "Ignis is pretty big and strange, isn't it." It wasn't a question, but she nodded. "I'm sorry we left Fontaine."

That surprised the girl enough to look up at his face. He didn't look angry, or upset in any way. He looked exactly like he sounded: sorry. His Oshawott was patting his shoulder much like Treecko was patting the girl's head.

"Why did we leave?" the girl asked, only just noticing the tears in her eyes. They had probably come when she'd realized she'd worried her brother, and stuck around ever since. She didn't usually cry, but it made sense that she would be upset. After all, her brother was the most important thing in the world to her, along with Treecko.

"I told you before," her brother said, "Lord Hideyoshi captured Fontaine and asked me to join his army. It wasn't up for negotiation." he closed his eyes, and leaned his head back. "It was my fault, really. I lost the battle, and therefore lost Fontaine. The city wouldn't have been the same if we'd stayed, anyway."

The girl had heard it all before, but hearing it again made her feel worse. "Why did he attack Fontaine?" she asked, turning her head away. She couldn't pronounce the Warlord's name, and even if she could have, she wouldn't. The girl had decided that she hated him.

Her brother knew what she meant, however. "Have you heard of the Legend of Ransei?" he asked. When she didn't reply, he went on, "Whoever unites all of Ransei will have the legendary Pokemon who created Ransei appear before them. Since this legendary Pokemon created Ransei, it stands to reason that it could change it. Lord Hideyoshi wants all people to be able to link with Pokemon, not just Warriors and Warlords. So he's trying to unite the region."

The girl recalled what the Warrior with the Sewaddle earlier had said, something about her bond with Treecko being surprisingly strong. It made sense, then, that he'd stared at her so oddly. His Warlord wanted more people to be like her.  
Suddenly, the girl hated him a lot less.

"If I was trying to unite Ransei," the girl mumbled, "I would let big brothers and their sisters stay where they lived before. Treecko and I could do it on our own if we had to, so nobody would be forced to move."

Her brother smiled, "That's a good way to think, Ray. But to be a Warlord, you need a castle and a few followers, and a goal."

The girl thought about that for a moment. "I would make it so that nobody would be forced to fight when they don't want to. It would be peaceful Ransei, not everyone fighting Ransei."

Treecko nodded in agreement, moving to sit next to the girl.

"That's a great idea." her brother said, shifting to face her directly, "But now you need a castle and some followers."

"That comes later." the girl pointed out, "I'm little now. I couldn't unite Ransei while I'm little."

Her brother smiled, "Yeah, I guess you're right. It would be hard to get people on your side when you're just a kid."

He stood up, then looked right at her. "But, now it's time for you to go to bed. I have a war council to attend, and I shouldn't be late. Treecko, please make sure Ray gets to bed."

Treecko saluted, and the girl's brother walked out of the house.

Ray walked herself to bed without Treecko's help, her mind filed with ideas for when she was older. "When I grow up," she murmured to Treecko before falling asleep, "I'm going to be a Warlord and unite Ransei. I'll be like my brother and Lord Hidoshi."

Treecko patted her head as she curled up on the pillow next to Ray. The girl had pronounced the Warlord's name wrong, but at least she'd tried to say it.

* * *

**Man, I hate the way I write. More detail in the beginning, and then much, much less in the end. And it's super short. I'll have to make the next one longer. **


	2. Chapter 2

Motochika stormed angrily through the vaulted corridors of Ignis Castle, Oshawott fuming in his head. The two were attuned to one another, so much so that they mirrored each other's feelings. In this case, it was Motochika, not Oshawott, who was furious.

He stopped outside two elaborately decorated doors, tracing the copper flames with his eyes as he tried to calm himself enough to be presentable. A few deep breaths later, he opened the doors and strode inside.

"You're late, Motochika." Lord Hideyoshi, sitting at the end of the long table, informed him. He seemed calmer that normal, not so much like the hyperactive kid who had challenged him to a battle over Fontaine. Still, this attitude was just as annoying. The Warlord of Ignis had a habit of stating the obvious.

"My apologies." Motochika managed to say it without sarcasm, "My sister was late coming home, and I had to wait for her."

If Hideyoshi was anything, at least he was understanding. After all, he'd allowed Motochika to bring Ray with him from Fontaine. He wasn't the kind of Warlord to split up families, or to criticize over a minor family issue. Motochika was able to take his seat without being asked anything else.

"Actually," Hideyoshi said, "We were just talking about your sister. It seems one of my Warriors saw her outside today with her Treecko."

"Yes, I'd heard about that." Motochika gritted his teeth as he tried to keep calm. "And I would like to ask that you stay away from her. She has no wish to be a Warrior for your cause."

"Are you saying you've educated her on this cause?" one of the Warriors at the table, a man with a Sewaddle whose name Motochika hadn't bothered to learn, asked.

"Of course. And trust me, it's taken quite a bit of effort to keep her from hating Lord Hideyoshi for taking Fontaine from us. She doesn't want to be a part of this army. Besides, she's eight. She's too young for this."

"I have to agree." another Warrior said, nodding, "Even if she does have a strong bond with Treecko, would she really be of any use at her age?"

Motochika frowned at the idea of anyone simply using his sister. Ray wasn't a tool, nor was she going to have any part in this army. She wanted to be a Warlord herself, not a simple Warrior. There were plenty of other kids who had bonds with Pokemon.

"Motochika, don't you think you're a little biased?" the Warrior with the Sewaddle asked. "It's clear you care about your sister more than this army."  
With that, all critical gazes were on him. The former Warlord of Fontaine frowned more. "Of course I care about my sister. It's better that she doesn't have her mind tainted with thoughts of war and battle at her age. However, I believe I have the best interests of this army at heart." Now he just had to make up a few simple sentences that convinced them of that. He was lucky he'd thought about saying this.

Their faces told him to continue, so he did.

"If we take the time to train my sister to battle and follow orders, it will slow down our progress. Ransei will not unite itself, and all around us, the armies are getting stronger. If we simply allow those around us to grow while we waste time training her, we will be at the disadvantage."

That seemed to have gotten through to them all. Only Hideyoshi's face was unreadable. He seemed to be deep in thought. His Chimchar looked almost exactly the same. Sometimes it was amusing to see other Warlords and their Perfect Links do things so similarly, until Motochika realized that he and Oshawott must be that way as well.

Finally, Hideyoshi said, "There is someone who owes me a favor, who could train Motochika's sister while we grow more powerful. That way, we won't waste our time or effort, and she would still have enough skill to be a Warrior."

Motochika kept himself from frowning with a little effort, aware of the eyes on him. It sounded like a good proposition, even to him, because it would be specifically somebody who owed Hideyoshi a favor, not somebody who was totally loyal to him. Besides, if Ray really wanted to be a Warlord, she would need to have some training in both battle and leadership. With any luck, she would remain free from Hideyoshi's army.

With that, Motochika crossed his arms and inclined his head, "I have no problem with that." It was a lie, of course, but believable enough. Oshawott mirrored him, as he could see out of the corner of his eye. That was amusing.

"Then it's decided that we train Motochika's sister." Hideyoshi said. "The next issue is which city to capture next."

* * *

Treecko cracked an eye open as she heard Ray's breathing slow and relax. The girl mumbled something in her sleep, something Treecko couldn't make out. The Pokemon smiled as best she could as the girls eyelids flickered.

Then Treecko climbed carefully off of the pillow, making a real effort not to wake the human. Ray was her best friend, the first human to even attempt to link with her, albeit accidentally. The girl hadn't understood what she'd been doing when she ran from her brother's side onto the battlefield. She hadn't had any idea what she was doing when she'd so blatantly stuck her hand out to the grass type.

But Treecko had admired the girl for her bravery. She had been only four at the time, an age when most children were scared of Pokemon and battles. In itself, that battle had been one of the fastest and toughest battles Treecko had ever fought in. If Ray hadn't stepped in, Treecko would have lost for the first time in that past year.

Treecko walked silently out of Ray's room, jumping up to peer out of a window. Motochika wouldn't be back for a while, if this meeting was like the last. Hideyoshi seemed to look to his Warriors more than Motochika ever had.  
Treecko sat back against the edge of the window, staring out at Ignis. It really wasn't familiar, and didn't hold any particularly fond memories for her, unlike Fontaine. The kingdom near the City of Water had been her home for years, long before she ever met Ray. She'd fought and win countless battles back then, and had been the strongest Treecko in the kingdom.

Those had been the days. Treecko closed her eyes and imagined a battle from long ago, the one that had triggered her want for strength. At first, all she saw were bits and pieces: a Charmeleon, a nasty smile across a Warrior's face. Desperation. Then it solidified, and she was back in that time.

_Treecko cried out as another painful ember landed on her face, closing her eyes tightly as she lashed out in all directions with her vines. She felt one connect, and quickly cracked open an eye to see what it was. With a cry of triumph, she directed all of her other vines to the same spot. Then her victory went sour. _  
_The Charmeleon's tail flared up, a large fire to match its balking eyes. Those eyes turned to Treecko, narrowed viciously and furiously. Treecko took a step back involuntarily as the Charmeleon reared it's head and snapped flame-coated jaws at the vines. The heat seared them away, and Treecko turned to try and run. The day was almost over, and no Warrior fought at night by her experience. _  
_However, as she turned her back, Charmeleon was given another order to attack. Treecko's mind exploded into bursts of red and black as searing hot fangs sank into her back. Treecko slumped to the ground, utterly defeated. The hours turned into days that she couldn't move her legs. Until..._

Treecko blinked. Perhaps it had just been her imagination, but she was pretty sure she'd seen a shooting star. Closing her eyes again, she wished for the same thing she always did: for Ray's happiness, for herself to always be with the human, for their joint dreams to come true. It was a strangely human wish, but four years spent around humans did that to any Pokemon, no matter how distant they had been before.

Treecko recalled a Whirlipede she'd met who, even after being released by his Warrior, had always wished on shooting stars. She'd thought him crazy at one time, but he'd been so loyal even after leaving the human's side that she thought of him now. She smiled again, looking at the place she'd seen the star fall from. She had no doubt that she'd always be Ray's strongest Pokemon. Hurriedly, she added another wish to the star.

She heard footsteps. Treecko turned her head to peer down the street, seeing a human shape walking down the street. She relaxed. She recognized the Oshawott balancing on his head. Ray's brother was back.

Treecko felt a heavy air of tension and regret around Motochika, and frowned. Even if she wasn't a psychic type Pokemon, it was strong enough to feel. It had to be something about Ray. Motochika never felt so negative toward battles, and he had almost no thought about anything else.

Treecko felt the equivalent of a growl rise in her throat. If anything happened to Ray, it would be his fault.

* * *

Dashing without pause through the wide, under-decorated halls in Pugilis Castle was the easy part. The hard part was thinking of how to tell his Warlord what was going on. All he'd expected to do was sit in the town for a while, enjoying his early morning, but it seemed like the fast-growing army from Ignis wouldn't give him that luxury.

Hideyoshi didn't seem to be slowing down in his little conquest. He want sure if that was good or not, because he wanted somebody to win this war that had been with Ransei for so long, nobody really knew just what it was all about. He just didn't want it to be an upstart wielding fire types. It was well known that those linked with fire types were unpredictable, dangerous people.

He looked back at his Beedrill, following loyally behind. Yes, he definitely preferred bugs to fire types.

Still, this wasn't Chrysalia. He may have moved from there, where he'd found Beedrill, but he had to remember that Pugilis was a fighting type kingdom. They were almost as unpredictable as the fire types, but much more disciplined. He wasn't to fond of them, though.

He rounded another corner, now mere steps away from his destination. It didn't matter what types he favored in this job, unlike a Warrior job. He was just a messenger, nothing more.

He burst into the room, staring at the stern face of his Warlord. No matter how many times he delivered a message to this man, it was always the same. He was scary.

"S-sir!" he exclaimed, "It's terrible! Hideyoshi's army is coming to attack!"


	3. Chapter 3

_She was in a field. _

_It wasn't a big field. It was small, little more than a clearing in the vast forest. The grass was as tall as her knees, brushing them, but not tickling. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling at all, despite the color of the grass, which she had begun to associate with "unhealthy" things. _

_In this field, though, the yellow-gold was warm and inviting. She smiled at the breeze, at the golden grass, at the tiny, many-colored patches where flowers grew without a care in the world. She smiled at the endless blue sky and the vivid green trees. She was extremely happy just being here. _

_For some reason, something kept her from looking to her left, though she knew there was a person there. To here right, though, stood a Sceptile, looking both strong and kind at the same time. She hoped she would have that kind of air to her someday. The Sceptile was admirable. _

_She bent down, gathering a few of the small, sky blue flowers between her fingers. It looked as though bits of the sky had fallen and buried themselves in the ground, sprouting into these tiny flowers. It was a beautiful color, though not her most favorite. _

_Green took that award. But she couldn't gather the right color green between her fingers like she was doing with the flowers. Treecko-tail green wasn't a common color in flowers. _

_She felt a tap on her shoulder, and looked over it. She could only see a basic silhouette of whoever it had been, as the sun was now in her face and she was squinting against it, but she got the message. It was time to get going. Definitely time to go. _

_She sighed, releasing the sky-colored flowers and straightening up, brushing bits of golden grass off of the green fabric of her clothing while she was at it. She smiled at the silhouette and the Sceptile, hurrying after both of their retreating forms in the direction of the trees, and home. Wherever home was. _

_The sun was getting brighter, and it was difficult to keep up with the two. She struggled to shade her eyes in an attempt to make the sun go away, but to no avail. Suddenly, she looked for them and the silhouettes were gone. _

_Turning around in a complete circle, looking between the trees in a panic, she still couldn't find them. The entire forest seemed to have gone silent, and the sun's blinding light went away. She took off in the direction she thought they had gone._

And then she was awake. Ray blinked as she noticed the patches of sun on her floor, the dream already mostly forgotten. She did remember a Sceptile, which brought a smile to her face. Ray had always seen the creature that Treecko could become after she was a Grovyle as something absolutely magnificent.

Ray looked around for Treecko, eyes scanning her usual spot on the pillow but not finding her. Quickly, Ray climbed out of bed and checked Treekco's usual hiding spots, but she was nowhere to be found. For a heart-wrenching moment, she wondered if Treecko really had left her, like the Sceptile in her dream. Then she ran out into the main room.

Their house in Ignis was smaller than the one in Fontaine, but that was probably because they had lived in Fontaine Castle, and everything was smaller than that. Still, it was little more than a hut with a few separate rooms and a little outdoor space when it came to size.

However, besides the size of the building, Ray's brother was treated like a visiting dignitary, offered just about all the comforts he could ask for. Many of these he declined, but the decorations of the house stuck out among the others. Anyone could pass by and say, "That's the home of the former Warlord of Fontaine." That was half the reason Ray had been allowed to roam around town. She couldn't possibly miss this house.

The layout inside was simple. There was a main room, with several adjoining rooms to preserve the square shape on the outside. Ray's room was an immediate turn left when you first walked through the door. There were no hallways, and it really wasn't confusing at all, unlike Fontaine Castle.  
In the main room, Ray found Treecko sitting near a Pokemon that was both unfamiliar and familiar. It was a water-blue otter Pokemon, with what looked to be dark blue pants with yellowish shells attached. It's tail was black, along with its feet.

Ray blinked at it, not reacting when Treecko stood and walked over to her, climbing onto her shoulder like usual. The otter Pokemon turned its head, looking in Ray's direction, and then she heard her brother's voice to her left saying, "That's Dewott, Ray. The evolved form of Oshawott."

The girl continued to stare dumbly for a moment before it processed. "O-Oshawott? That's you?" There was a moment when Treecko tensed, gripping her shoulder tightly, and she could see her brother out of the corner of her eye doing the same. She didn't understand why. It wasn't like she was ever afraid of Oshawott, so why should Dewott frighten her?

Ray dashed over and threw her arms around the Pokemon, squeezing it affectionately. "Oshawott! You evolved! That's great!" she said to it. "I never thought you would be so cool when you evolved!"

She was picking the two-foot-tall Pokemon a little off the ground, but he didn't seem to mind. Dewott's face was nothing but proud. He bragged a bit in his own, Dewott kind of way.

"Ray," Motochika was barely holding himself back from laughing, "sit down for breakfast."

Ray complied, practically dancing over to the table. The emotions of Treecko - happiness, pride for her friend, a little bit of wistfulness to evolve - were rubbing off on her. Ray plopped down at the table, still bouncing as Motochika and Dewott sat.

Motochika seemed suddenly serious, and Ray snapped to attention. She could tell her brother wanted to say something by the way he kept staring at her and not saying anything. Finally, he managed to say, "The army is going to attack Pugilis next. Lord Hideyoshi has sent word to their Warlord about that, so there's no backing out."

Ray didn't understand why anyone would send word of an upcoming attack they were making, but she didn't interrupt her brother as he said, "Dewott and I have to go one the attack, and then stay to defend Pugilis for awhile. That's why you're coming with us."

Ray stared, not processing, as Treecko gripped her shoulder. Motochika was tense again, and Dewott looked prepared to strike out if anything attacked. Ray was silent for a minute, before a grin crossed her face, "We're leaving Ignis?"

* * *

**I'm posting this so soon after my next update because I need an excuse to start asking for OCs from people. That's why it's so short, too. I'll allow any Pokemon at all besides legendaries, as long as the whole Pokemon Conquest thing can fit around them. I've written a few chapters ahead, but may edit OCs into those chapters if they fit. This is necessarily detailed, so please bear with me. **

**Name:**

**Age:**

**Appearance:**

**Attitude:**

**Partner:**

**Link % with Partner:**

**Short description:**

**The short description is just a basic overview of their life. Did they grow up in Ransei, did they come from another region, which castle did they call home, etc. I like to go through backstories when I write any characters. You can summit through PM or review, I don't mind either. Thanks!**


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